How to Flash TWRP on Redmi 6 (and Root)

This tutorial guides you to the working steps on installing TWRP and rooting Xiaomi Redmi 6 codename Cereus using the official build by Team Win Recovery Dev Team. The process shall be a piece of cake for you.

Why should I flash TWRP? Every Xiaomi phone comes shipped with stock recovery. However, the functionalities are limited to things that Xiaomi allows you to flash.

On the other hand, custom recoveries such as TWRP, RWRP, etc provide better functionalities and more awesome features. You can flash any custom binaries such as Magisk root, custom ROMs, or system mods.

Moreover, TWRP allows you to create full system backup. Restoring full backup with it is also a hassle-free experience.

Xiaomi Redmi 6 is the iteration of Redmi 5. It is an Android phone released in a budget segment. It sports MediaTek MT6762 chipset with MTK Helio P22 processors. Some other variants of the phone include Redmi 6A and Redmi 6 Pro. However, this guide is for Redmi 6 and is not for other variants.

Warning: This procedure will wipe all your data. Please create a full data backup beforehand. Photos, videos, contacts, messages, and other important files are the area you may want to backup. Moreover, we hold no responsibility of any damage caused by following this tutorial. Proceed with full caution. Remember that we have warned you.

Read also: How to install Play Store on Redmi 6 MIUI 10 China ROM.

Requirements

Here are following things that you need to proceed with the flashing process.

• A Redmi 6 (Cereus) device.
• A compatible USB data cable.
• A computer running Windows 8/8.1/10 64-bit.
• Xiaomi ADB-Fastboot Driver or Mi Flash tool.
• The official TWRP for Cereus.
• The latest version of the Magisk zip file.
• DM Verity Disabler zip file.
• A cup of coffee or tea (optional).

Steps to Flash TWRP

The prerequisites steps:

1. Unlock your phone bootloader officially. This is particularly easy but it may take some time. Read our full guide on how to do this here.
2. Disable Driver Signature Enforcement on your Windows computer. This allows smooth installation process, or else, you will end up fail on installing the necessary driver. The full tutorial is here.
3. Install Xiaomi ADB-Fastboot USB driver software you have downloaded it from the above link. This allows your computer to recognize your Android device properly. On top of that, this makes sure you can establish both ADB and Fastboot connection while the phone is in Bootloader mode and USB Debugging enabled. Choose site-wide installation during the process. Once installed, you will have it in your drive C:\adb\. You may also use Mi Flash tool instead. The tool bundles all required drivers within its installation.
4. Download the latest version of the Magisk zip file or DM Verity Disabler zip file directly to your phone (link available above).
5. Backup your important data. We hold no responsibility for any potential damage of following this article. Please proceed with caution.

The main steps:

Step 1. Download the TWRP image file from the above link to your computer and rename the file to recovery.img.

Step 2. Copy the recovery.img to the C:\adb\ folder. This task is super easy on Windows Explorer.

Step 3. Enable Developer Options on your phone. Go to Settings > About phone > tap the MIUI version several times until the developer options being enabled.

Step 4. Enable USB Debugging through Settings > Additional Settings > Developer Options > USB Debugging > toggle it on.

Step 5. Connect your phone to your computer using its USB cable.

Step 6. On your computer, go to the ADB folder in Windows Explorer. This is usually located at C:\adb\.

Step 7. Type “cmd” – without quotes – in the Address bar of Windows Explorer, then hit Enter. This will launch Command Prompt window right in the current location.

Step 8. Next, type following command and hit Enter on your keyboard to execute it:

adb devices
adb reboot bootloader

The first line tells your computer to establish an ADB connection and list all attached device. You will see your device code being displayed. The second line instructs your PC to reboot your phone into bootloader mode.

Congratulation, you will see the Xiaomi Bunny logo being displayed that indicates your phone is already in the bootloader mode.

Step 9. Type in following command:

fastboot devices
fastboot format userdata 

The second line of command instruct ADB to format all user’s data. Again, we have warned you on this.

Step 10. Now issue the following command to flash TWRP on your device.

fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

This instructs the computer to flash TWRP image file to the phone through the fastboot interface. The process should finish within seconds.

Step 11. At this point, TWRP should have been flashed. You can issue following command to reboot into normal mode:

fastboot reboot

Steps to Root Redmi 6 with Magisk

Step 12. Once your phone is on, make sure the USB connection allows you to transfer files (and is not in Charging mode).

Step 13. Copy both Magisk zip file and Lazyflasher (DM-verity) zip file on your phone. Place them in the root directory of your phone internal storage.

Step 14. Get back to the Command Prompt or PowerShell window and type in following command:

adb devices
adb reboot bootloader
fastboot devices
fastboot reboot recovery

Your phone should now reboot into TWRP recovery.

Step 15. Allow TWRP to do system modification. Swipe to allow it.

Step 16. You’ll see all the main menu of TWRP Recovery. Choose Install by tapping on it.

Step 17. Now locate the Magisk zip file you have copied earlier. Tap on its file name to select it.

Step 18. Finally, do the “Swipe to confirm flash” action. TWRP will then install Magisk on your phone. The process should finish in no time.

Step 19. Tap on the “Reboot” button.

Step 20. Your phone will reboot into normal mode.

Voila! You have successfully flashed TWRP and gained root access on your Redmi 6 device.

A new app called “Magisk Manager” will be automatically installed after flashing Magisk zip file. Look for this app icon on your phone. There is a rare case that it may not be found due to corrupted flashing process. If this happens, you can download Magisk Manager .apk file here and install it manually.

Magisk Manager is basically a root manager app. It allows you to manage and to organize all the apps allowed to use root access on your phone. You can grant or revoke root access within this app. On top of that, you can use it to hide the root status from being detection by specific apps. This feature is useful to avoid root detection performed by banking apps and some gaming apps like Pokemon Go.

You can also check the current root status by downloading Root Checker app from the Play Store. Look for it there.

That’s all guys! Please tell us about your experience. Did it go smoothly for you? Any difficulties or things you don’t understand from the above steps? Share it with us in the comment section below.

Credits belong to TWRP Dev Team.